Archive for October, 2015

PART 1 – HIDING FROM IMPENDING JUDGMENT

“MOUNTAINS, FALL ON US…HILLS, COVER US” are words that have echoed in history, and the echo has not ended.

BUT, WHOSE WORDS ARE THESE?

ISRAEL

The prophet Hosea spoke of Israel’s impending judgment with these words: “The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars, and they shall say to the mountains, ‘Cover us,’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us'” (Hosea 10:8).

Just as the prophet predicted, it came to pass that God judged Israel (the northern tribes) by the hand of the Assyrians.

JERUSALEM

On His way to the cross there were women who were weeping for Jesus. “Turning to them Jesus said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us,” and to the hills, “Cover us”‘” (Luke 23:28-30).

It came to pass that Jesus, being at the right hand of God, came in judgment in that same generation and destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'” (Rev 6:15-17).

Just as surely as the previous judgments occurred that were foretold by the prophet Hosea against Israel and by Jesus against Jerusalem, along with countless other judgments by God and His Son throughout history, so too will this final judgment occur against all the people of the world.

SEVERITY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT

Consider the severity of God’s judgment if death by falling rocks and mountains is preferable to facing ‘him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.’

WHO CAN BE SPARED?

Because of His great love for us, God is not willing that any should perish, let alone face judgment. In fact, in order to rescue us, the full severity of God’s righteous anger toward us was experienced by Christ on our behalf. By Jesus’ sacrifice, justice and wrath were fully satisfied in order that through faith and repentance no one need face God’s judgment.

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Is it Biblical Not To Be Healed?

In short, yes, it is quite normal to get sick and not be miraculously healed. And, while there are definitely some who are not healed when they could have been, it will relieve many to learn that it is Biblically normal not to always receive a miracle.

Reasons Why Many Are Not Healed

Here are a few reasons why many do not find healing:

Unbelief

Just as in Nazareth, Jesus cannot do miracles where there is unbelief.

Mat 13:58 And he did not do many mighty works there (His hometown of Nazareth), because of their unbelief.

Our Faith vs God’s Gift of Faith

We don’t need lots of our faith. We simply need a Rhema word that imparts a gift of faith from God, and it need only be the size of a mustard seed.

Luke 17:5-6 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Sin, Consequences and Punishment

While Jesus healed “all” who came to Him or who were brought to Him, regardless of their past behavior, it is clear that Jesus, subsequent to His ascension, allowed and even brought sickness upon those who were His own because of their behavior. Where sickness is brought on by sin and there is no repentance, we cannot expect healing.

For example, some were sick and even died because of their the attitude that they had around the Lord’s Supper.

1 Cor 11:28-33 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—

Others were warned of receiving sickness as a punishment if they did not repent of evil. He is not going to immediately heal such a person without repentance.

Rev 2:22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works

Tastes Are Just That

We are told that we can have a taste of the powers of the age to come. Constant healing and wholeness is not tasting, but a meal. This meal has been paid for, but is reserved for His coming.

Hebrews 6:4-5, having tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.

Premature Expectation for Constant Physical Wholeness

While Jesus demonstrated His kingdom in its fullness when He came, which meant ALL were healed and even the dead were raised, nevertheless the kingdom will only completely manifest this fullness at Christ’s return. Until then we can receive tastes of the things to come, but clearly the Spirit did not come to exactly fully replicate Jesus’ healing ministry through the Church, because otherwise He failed.

Remember too, though He does heal our bodies even now, the fact that Jesus healed the blind was also as a sign that He would heal the spiritually blind, and that He healed the sick was a sign that He would heal the spiritually sick, and that He raised the dead was sign that He raises the spiritually dead.

While these were signs of power over the physical, they pointed to His power in the spiritual. And, clearly He has chosen to attend primarily to our spiritual need first through our rebirth, then to the renewal of the mind, and only at His coming will we receive our new glorious bodies.

Rom 8:23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

2 Cor 5:2-4 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling … For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Sick and Unhealed Saints in The New Testament:

The Bible clearly shows that the best of saints were sick and sometimes not healed –

Epaphroditus

Php 2:26-27 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Timothy

1 Tim 5:23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

Trophimus

2 Tim 4:20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.

Jesus’ Projection

Jesus had an expectation that we would care for the sick in His Body, the Church, and not necessarily heal them. Take a look:

Mat 25:34-6 Then the king will say to those on his right, “My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. WHEN I WAS SICK, YOU TOOK CARE OF ME, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”

Jesus understood the normality of sickness and physicians.

Luke 5:31, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do.”

Does He Still Heal Today?

Yes! But, He has a far greater agenda than a Healing Drive Thru.

Psalm 41:3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Whether you will be healed miraculously now, or naturally now, or at His return, your healing is coming.

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness…

Whether we receive a miracle, or are comforted in our hope, ‘in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us’.